Application of securing means to glass doors



May 14, 1940- G. F. ERATH '2.200.387

APPLICATION 0F SECURING MEANS T0 GLASS DO0RS` Filed July 1938 l 4:

@e A ORNEYS.

Patented May 14, 1940 UNITED STATES PATENT 'ori-ICE to Pittsburgh Corning County, Pa., a corporation of Application July '1, 193s, serial No. 218,936

" 4 Claims. (Cl. ZID-16) The present invention relates to securing del vices for doors and more particularly to the apf' plicationl of securing devices to doors comprising single panels of tempered glass.

The primary object of the invention is the provision of a construction by means of which a lock-casemay be mounted in a door comprising a single panel glass wherein the formation of the customary mortise opening is impossible.

. Other objects and advantages of the invention will -become more apparent during the followingY detailed description of a preferred embodiment thereof.

For many years glass' has been an important building material and the modern trend of architectural design has brought glass into even greater prominence. Today glass is being usedin many novel ways and because it may be so treated that its strength is greatly increased, glass construction is being specified in preference to the customary materials.

Tempered glass is ordinarily prepared by heating a panel of glass of the desired shape to approximately 1100 degrees F. and then suddenly cooling it .with a blast of cold air. A panel so treated is considerably stronger than plate glass of equal thickness and is capable of withstanding impacts which would break standard plate glass. It is to be understood that the glass panel must be cut to size, drilled, or otherwise fabricated before it is tempered for after the tempering operation the glass cannot be worked. Any attempt to cut a plate of tempered glass will result in its complete disintegration into granules of small size. 'I'his characteristic of tempered glass has been considered desirable from the standpoint of safety for the particles of a broken plate are comparatively harmless, there being no sharp edges to the particles.

'I'he use of tempered glass for doors has heretofore been proposed and considerable development work has been done to create satisfactory means for positioning the glass panels in the Walls of buildings. It will at once be obvious that for most purposes it is necessary that provision be made for locking the doors, but satisfactory locks have not been available therefor. A plate of glass cannot be mortised to receive a lock casing as is the practice with metal or Wooden doors, and there has not been suggested any substitute manner of installation.

In accordance with provisions of the present invention, the foregoing diiiiculties are obviated by forming, for reception of the lock casing, a single notch having undercut top and bottom Ywardly therefrom if desired.

edges in the edge-of the glass panel and providing bosses or shoulders upon the lock casing of a size suilicient to engage the undercut portions of the notch. YA box flange including a front plate and cover plates bridges the notch and is secured to the lock casing by means of screws which draw the casing and flange together to wedge the lock casing securely in the notch.

A preferred embodiment of the invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawing, where- Figure 1 is a fragmentary elevationzd view of a building wall in which is installed a door embodying the provisions of the present invention.

Figure 2 is a fragmentary side elevational view showing on an enlarged scale the securing device as applied to a glass door.

Figure 3 is a fragmentary elevational view taken substantially along the line llI--IlI of Figure 2.

YFigure 4 is an end view of a box flange forming a part of the construction.

Referring to the drawing, a building wall I which may be constructed of any material contains an opening 2 within which a door frame 3 is secured. A door panel 5 which consists of a single plate of comparatively heavy tempered glass is mounted within the frame 3 by means of hinges 5. The mounting of thedoor panel 5 does not form a part of the present invention and may take any oneof numerous forms.

locking means for the door panel 5 comprises a lock casing Il, the rearward corners of which are provided with bosses or shoulders I'I, designed to it within an opening or notch l2 provided in the leading edge of the door panel, and the shoulders II engage in' arcuate recesses I3 in the upper and lower edges of Ythe opening I2 in such manner as to prevent displacement of the casing I0 in the plane of the door panel. The recesses I3, as shown, are formed at the rear corners of the opening but might be spaced for- Other means for obtaining undercut portions inthe edges ofthe opening may be employed. It is important to note that the curvature of the recesses I3 must be of a radius at least equal to one half the thickness of the glass panel in order that proper tempering is possible.

A strip I I of resilient material is interpod between the casing I 0 and the edges ofthe opening I2 of the glass panel to prevent direct contact therebetween.` The internal mechanism of the lock conforms to the standard mortised lock construction and is not a part of the present invention. Accordingly it should be sufiicient to remark that the lock includes a dead bolt I 6 and axlatching bolt I1. The former is actuated through suitable connecting means (not shown) by a rotatable tumbler barrel I8 in which is provided a keyhole I8 for the reception of a key (not shown). The latching bolt may be actuated independently by rotation of a handle 22 secured to a shaft 23 extending through the casing I and connected by suitable mechanism (not shown) to said bolt.

A box iiange 25, as shown in Figure 4, including a front plate 26 and cover plates 21, is disposed upon the forward edge of the glass panel so as to cover the lock casing I0 and screws 28 extending through the front plate engage the lock case I0 to draw the case and plate together. 'I'he bosses II are thus drawn into engagement with the undercut portions of the opening I2 to prevent any possibility of displacement of the lock from the door panel. The cover plates 21 will lie closely against the surfaces of the glass panel and escutcheon plates 30 for the tumbler barrel I8 and the shafts 23 will serve to assist in retaining them in position.

Recesses 32 and 33 are provided in the doorv jamb 3 for the reception of the dead bolt I6 and the latching bolt I1 respectively. If it is desired, these recesses may be reinforced by the addition of a metal striking plate (not shown) to the jamb 3.

In order to assemble the construction, the lockcase I 0 is slipped sidewise into the notch I2. The box flange 25 is then secured thereto by the screws 28 which are tightened until the bosses II are wedged into engagement with the edges of the recesses I3. Subsequently the escutcheon plates 30, the shaft 23 and handles 22 are placed.

It is not necessary that the present invention be limited to constructions embodying a single door panel. For example, the lock casing could be secured in one door while the retainer or striking plate assembly could be mounted similarly in an adjacent glass door. Other modifications and changes in the arrangements of elements could be had without entailing a departure from the spirit of the invention or the scope of the appended claims.

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what mslm is:

1. In combination with a door comprising a glass panel having a notch formed in one edge thereof and recesses formed to communicate with the notch, a lock casing carrying bosses adapted 5 to engage the recessed portions positioned in the notch, a box iiange including a front plate and cover plates disposed upon the panel to cover the lock casing, and screws attaching the llock casing tothe box ilange to wedge the lock casing in the notch.

2. In combination with a door comprising a glass panel having a recessed no tch formed in one edge thereof, a lock casing carrying bosses adaptedto engage the recessed portions of the notch positioned/in the notch, a box flange including a front plate and cover plates disposed upon the panel to cover the lock casing and screws passing through the front plate and threaded into the forward edge of the lock casing to draw the plate and casing together to form an integral unit positively held in the door panel.

3. A construction as defined in claim 2 in which the door is of tempered glass pivotally mounted for movement about an axis adjacent to a vertical edge opposite that edge in which the lock casing is secured.

4. In combination with a panel of glass having a notch formed in one edge and cutting completely through said panel the rear portion of the notch being substantially laterally expanded to undercut at least one of the side edges and to provide a restricted forward opening for the notch, a fitting assembly comprising a body element disposed in the notch and being shaped to the contour of the expanded rear portion, whereby to prevent its withdrawal from the notch through the restricted forward portion, and cover plates upon opposite sides of the body, both plates being secured thereto and overlapping the adjacent edges of the panel to prevent removal of the body by moving it perpendicularly of the plane of the panel, the fitting assemblyV thus being inherently locked in position in the notch without recourse to additional fastening devices projecting into the panel.

GEORGE F. ERATH. 

